4 season Tent??

Dr_Hunter · Oct 25, 2010

Just had a bad experience with a cheap tent that shortened our backcountry deer hunt. Now I am looking for a good tent for the extended archery.
I don't want to break the bank, but want something good. I have read a few past posts about the big agnes fly creek ul2, Nallo and the Exped Aries.
So my question is this: Is a four season tent a must have? Are their other options?
Has anyone tried the Cabelas XPG four season?

"Half of being smart, is knowing what you're dumb about."

Rob · Oct 28, 2010

LAST EDITED ON Oct-28-10 AT 01:26PM (MST)[p]curious to know what happened to your other tent.

It's my understanding that a 4 season tent will be without mesh walls and can stand up to a little bit of weight, for instance snow build up. I've checked out a few 3 season tents and just a little pressing on them causes them to sag therefore condensation may drip in the inside. A lot of guys use only a 3 season tent, but if wind and rain or snow is expected I personally would want something more robust. This year I used an REI Cirque. They call it extended season. You may look at that around $300. I was pleased with it. No mesh walls. Sturdy frame. There are lighter more expensive options. It is 5lbs 10 oz with the floor saver. I actually shared this 2 man tent with another person and did ok in it. Having 2 doors and 2 vestibules helped out. I wish I had the money to try them all out.

Dr_Hunter · Oct 28, 2010

The tent we used was a 3-season tent from Big 5. I thought that it would do ok being brand new and only used twice. Between the wind, hard rain and snow flurries it didn't survive the night. We put a tarp over the rain fly thinking we would be on the safe side but woke up to a nice surprise at 2:00am. Rolling over into a puddle of cold water is no fun at 2:00am. Then putting your nice soaked gortex pants on kind of topped things off.
I think what happened was the tarp didn't fully cover one of the bottom corners of the tent where the seam was. My guess is that the runoff from the tarp hit that seam and soaked through. The bottom of the tent was full of water. We had a couple of nice scattered pools of water. Fortunately, not all of our clothes were soaked and we were able to start a fire despite the hard rain and dry off.

"Half of being smart, is knowing what you're dumb about."

Rob · Oct 28, 2010

I have a Big 5 tent that I've had since I was 15, 21 years! My first time using it I had the same problem. It's still in use but not if rain is in the forecast. I don't trust any of my hunting gear to Big 5.

trophyhunter · Oct 29, 2010

Worst case the tarp idea over your existing tent will help but since your tent is a Big 5 tent it would be best to choose a quality brand tent and start over if your budget allows. Nothing worse than being cold and wet at 2 AM in a storm a long ways from the truck....been there ...

We use a dome style 3 season, 3 man tent for two people. We chose this style for the extra room.. worth the extra weight to us.. In bad weather we keep all bow's and backpacks inside. We carry a small 12x12 inch fire proof cloth to set a backpack stove on for heating cooking water inside the tent to save the floor from damage.

If you are on a budget there are a lot of tents out there. I can't recommend a tent...not up to speed on newer models and others at MM have given you some great suggestions. Our style is an older Eurkea dome tent and it has a seperate rain cover. Basics: Choose a tent that has aluminum poles they are much more durable. Aluminum may bend some under the weight of snow but they will not collapse. Our tent has poles that cross at the top. We tie the poles together at the top and put out support ropes off each pole. This will give your tent much more strength in windy stormy conditions. Purchase some seam seal tubes and go over every inch of seam stiching both inside and outside to help further waterproof the tent. You can make a moderately priced tent work well by spending a little time and money sealing the seams. Most all tent manufactures don't want to spend the extra time or money on less expensive tents to do any type of quality waterproofing.

The other thing we learned the hard way at 2AM years ago is never use a floor saver, plastic or tarp under the tent because that just helps collect and pond the water.

Timberbuck · Dec 22, 2010

Check out the Eureka alpenlite 2xt-awesome 2 person 4 season tent.

campmor.com

Gator · Dec 24, 2010

dig a trench around your tent will help to channel water away from the middle of your tent. Big tarp so the edge are far away from the tent by staking it more flat the just draped over the tent.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".

Ryry · Dec 24, 2010

I picked up a 12x9 Hirsh Weiss Canvas tent on Craigslist for $60 dollars and i used it for Deer season. I am going to have a stove pipe hole put in from a local tent company for $75 more . Can't go wrong for $135 dollars. I put a tarp over it to keep the weight off the frame and good to go. Granted i looked for months for a deal on a tent and got lucky and found this only 30 min. after he posted it. I use my Montana Canvas for elk though.

Garion33 · Dec 29, 2010

It really depends on the conditions you plan to use it in. Are you horsebacking in, hiking, ATVing, flying, or another way? Are we talking an August archery hunt, or something in November? If you are asking about 4-season tents, I assume its a Nov/Dec hunt that you are worried about rain/snow. I use a Mt Hardwear Trango 3.1. I have had it for about 8 years now and it still works great. I have used it in Alaska, New Mexico, Colorado and Idaho. It has made it through 60+ MPH winds, rain, and snow. It is not light at around 10 lbs, but it is bombproof. I also use a tarp of some sort over the tent as an aid to keep water off of it and have a dry place to sit. Here is a picture of my set up on a recent float hunt:

Good luck in whatever you select. Some of those tents you listed are fairly expensive, $$$ wise, but great quality.

The bottom line is that you have to feel comfortable with whatever you choose. That may be a high end, 4-season tent, a much cheaper tent that may work, or something in between. Personally, when I'm out hunting, I am usually in an area I can't walk out of, so I will use a high end tent that I do not have to worry about. Early in my Alaskan hunting career, I have been inside of a tent that was almost touching my face while wrapped in my sleeping bag, because of heavy winds and broken poles. I don't care to repeat that feeling. My advice is to think of the worst conditions you may encounter and at least base part of your decisions on a risk analysis of your trip.

I'm interested in hearing what you finally buy.

Take care,
Garion

Dr_Hunter · Dec 30, 2010

I would use the tent throughout the year, but mainly Nov-Dec. We backpack in, anywhere from 3-7 miles, so I would prefer a lighter weight tent.
All of the suggestions have been great and I appreciate it. I haven't purchased anything yet because I am really looking at my options. In addition, my wife wants me to get a 4-man tent for family camp outs. So that throws a loop into things as far as light weight goes.
I am still considering the Cabelas XPG 4-season 4-man at 13lbs and the Nallo 4. I know that it is a "no brainer" as to which will out perform the other, but for the price of one Nallo 4 I could buy two XPG's.
My other idea is to buy a good family tent and then a 2-3 man four season tent for my hunting needs. I really doubt my wife will want to camp out in the snow with our kids. So I think a 3-season would do.
What I have noticed is their aren't too many lightweight 4-man 4-season tents, but there are a ton of 3-man and 2-man options.
I am leaning towards the two tent option.

"Half of being smart, is knowing what you're dumb about."

Rob · Dec 30, 2010

dude, you're gonna have to get 2 tents: one for family camping and one for back packing. Unless you have horses there is no reason to be hauling around a 13lb tent on your back.

Dr_Hunter · Dec 30, 2010

Agreed. That will open the doors to a lot more options now.

"Half of being smart, is knowing what you're dumb about."

jims · Jan 8, 2011

I have the Exped and it withstood very high winds, snow, and rain on my last 2 1/2 week AK dall sheep hunt. If I would have had the $ I would have bought a Nallo 2 but the Exped has worked well. The Exped and Nallos are almost identical but the stitching on the Nallo or other Hillebergs is much better. The Nallo is also a little lighter weight than the Exped. I've been extremely pleased with my Exped and bought it on sale for about 1/2 the price of a Nallo.

You will find that it is definitely worth having the additional room of the Exped or Nallo style tents if you are going to spend much time in your tent trying to stay out of the weather. There is loads of room..which is great for drying out wet clothes and spreading out all your gear.

The only problem I had with my Exped was it flapped somewhat in the 50 degree winds...but I guess that can be expected! For the price I paid I am super happy with the Exped. If I want to do a super light bivy style hunt I can use just the outer fly. It is HUMUNGOUS inside and only weighs around 2 lbs! Just the fly is better than most standard tents. If $ is not an issue I'd still buy a Hilleberg though...they are incredible tents!

OldMan · Jan 9, 2011

You certainly have to have two tents. I would not discount the tried and true Eureka Timberline for hunting. They are not the most roomy, but if you are solo you'll have plenty. They are reasonable on weight, don't leak, are free standing, won't break the bank, and are one of the original backpacking tent designs.

DonVathome · Nov 6, 2011

Hillberg akto

bowhunt · Nov 6, 2011

Four-season tents typically have more and/or stronger poles and a rounded dome to withstand heavy snow loads and high winds. They are the heaviest and sturdiest of tents, expedition versions being the strongest of all. Four-season tents can be used year-round, but are generally too hot and heavy for warm weather due to their lack of ventilation.

With that said, there are many good 4 season tents. The XPG is one of them, and comes in 2-6 man configurations.

Many, feel the Hilleberg are among the very very best. I agree.

You can do a quick good comparison of many Four Season tents here:

http://www.backcountry.com/4-season-tents

I would also bet, HardCoreOutdoors has some good info.

Mike

dryflyelk · Nov 8, 2011

LAST EDITED ON Nov-08-11 AT 09:35AM (MST)[p]I was up on the wasatch this weekend and we got dumped on. Probably 18"+ where we were at. I was using the REI quarterdome T3. It held up ok, but I wouldn't have wanted any more.

If you're going to go 4 season, you usually have to add a few more pounds - 3 or 4. You can save a pound or two if you use a single wall tent. Black Diamond makes some good ones. The problem with those BD tents is that they usually don't come with a vestibule - you'd have to buy that separately. I've used their hilight tent quite a bit and I like it a lot.

I'm considering buying the fitzroy
http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en-us/shop/mountain/shelters/fitzroy-tent/ -

TFinalshot · Nov 9, 2011

LAST EDITED ON Nov-09-11 AT 10:37AM (MST)[p]there's only one tent maker i'd trust for 4 seasons, and great thing is they are HUNTER friendly, they like hunters and help make a product that can meet the challenging demands of backcountry hunting . . . Hilleberg.com

www.tonybynum.com

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